Fleet Of Doom | Objectives | In Play | Verdict | Rating
Computer: BBC Micro (Generic)
Price: £7.50 (Cassette)
Publisher: Bug Byte
Reviewer: Bobby Rao
Rating: 3/5
Sea Lord (BBC Micro (Generic))
Sea Lord (BBC Micro (Generic))
Sea Lord (BBC Micro (Generic))
Sea Lord (BBC Micro (Generic))
Sea Lord (BBC Micro (Generic))

Fleet Of Doom

This is a one-player arcade game where the action occurs near the sea bed in the domain of the Sea Lord. You have been admiring the scenery from your minisub, unwittingly trespassing, when you are set upon by various unfriendlies.

Objectives

The enemy fleet of four enters from the top of the screen and each takes a different route, bouncing off the edges of the screen but not firing at you. Only the fourth fleet tries to ram you. You can rotate left and right and fire single torpedoes.

Your speed is constant in the direction you are facing.

Once one fleet has been disposed of, the scenery is redrawn and a different species of fleet continues the attack. After the fourth screen two previous types of fleet attack together.

You have three lives, which are lost by crashing into assailants.

In Play

On loading you see a screenful of what look like pigs wearing ruffs - the Bug-Byte bug. After a tidy title page with scores and brief instructions, the background of the sea bed (wavy blue lines) broken by rocks (cubes) is drawn. This process is accompanied by warnings of impending doom to relieve the boredom but it is still very tedious to have to wait these ten or so seconds before every attack wave.

Then the fleet is upon you. The problem is not so much fending off the attackers as preventing yourself from accidentally crashing into one of them - easy because rocks act as cover and often the fleet is hidden. It is also hard to tell which way your ship is moving after rotating under a rock as there are only two characters to represent it: one for when it is moving diagonally and one for when it is moving horizontally or vertically.

All the characters are quite small but movement is smooth. Sound effects are sparse (it is under water, after all) but sufficient.

Verdict

The game is badly let down by the rocks whose abundance often hides vital action and means frustrating loss of life. It is reminiscent of Asteroids but is not as addictive. Seasoned gamesters will soon master the lower levers but at high levels and with more intelligent fleets on the screen the action could become quite hectic.

Rating

Lasting Appeal 2/5
Playability 3/5
Use Of Machine 2/5
Overall Value 3/5

Fleet Of Doom | Objectives | In Play | Verdict | Rating